Clogged Bathroom Sink...

[jpiniero]

So my bathroom sink is clogged. It appears to be clogged pretty deep in too, it may even be not on the initial "down part" as well so I don't know what could be done to get close enough to be able to jolt it free. Since it's a bathroom sink it's probably just hair but I can't say for sure.

So far I've tried:
Baking Soda + Vinegar
Liquid Plumr (useless due to the water in front of the clog)
Vacuum cleaner (only lowers the water level)
Smallish Snake thing (can't get it close enough)

What else do you think I should try before trying some kind of nasty chemical?

 

[boomerang]

I don't think, I know, that you should remove the trap. Put a bucket under it and break both connections loose. If it's the downpipe you can clean it out. If it's in the trap, you can clean it out. If it's after the trap you can buy a snake at the hardware store and clean it out.

If all that is just too much to deal with, you can buy a plumber to clean it out.

 

[Mike64]

Do you have any idea what likely caused the clog? In a bathroom sink, my assumption would be some combination of hair and soap/soap-like substances, in which case even a strong acid wouldn't be all that much help. I don't see even concentrated acetic acid helping with a clog like that, much less 5% white vinegar, let alone vinegar neutralized with baking soda...

If you don't want to take the pipes apart, there are liquid drain openers (heavier-duty than regular Liquid Plumr) formulated to be dense enough to sink under what little standing water there'd be in the pipe ahead of the clog (I don't know a brand name offhand, but the package labels point this out in big letters). Or maybe vacuum up as much of the standing water as you can and then try the drain opener? And last, but not least, if the pipes are metal (and you're on a municipal sewer system rather than having a cesspool) and you really don't want to either take it apart or call a plumber, try lye (sparingly). (Or for that matter Drāno, but 100% lye is more potentially useful for other purposes and you definitely don't want to make a habit of using either one on drains.) It'll definitely weaken the pipes with anything like regular usage, but a one-shot use isn't likely to do much harm and - chemically speaking - no non-mechanical solution is better on hair and soap... It would take a fair amount of a strong acid to dissolve either one, but caustic substances make pretty short work of both even in lower concentration.

 

[lxskllr]

Plunger. You'll have to block the overflow with a rag of course.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Have you tried dynamite???

 

[NetWareHead]

Take apart the trap and see if the clog is in the exposed portion of the drainage plumbing. If not you will have to get a snake and give it a go. Caution on snaking your own drain though. People do get snakes stuck in the piping and if that happens you are proper fucked. Best to call a plumber. Specifically a service plumber who deals with clogs and repair type issues. There is a big difference between service plumbers and other plumbers who do mainly installs or commercial work.

 

[jpiniero]

I don't think, I know, that you should remove the trap. Put a bucket under it and break both connections loose. If it's the downpipe you can clean it out. If it's in the trap, you can clean it out. If it's after the trap you can buy a snake at the hardware store and clean it out.

I'm not able to get the P-Trap free but I was able to get the downpipe removed. But it seemed like most of what I was removing with the snake was diluted baking soda and a bit of hair.

Might try Drano.

 

[mindless1]

^ What does not able mean? Just stuck due to mineral deposits? You could put a plastic tub under it to catch drips, soak a rag in vinegar (with a little detergent in it) or CLR, wrap that around the joint and let it dissolve some deposits away for a few hours. Re-wet the rag and repeat if needed.

If it's metal instead of plastic then try heating it instead of the mild acids above, or at least spot test to see if they degrade the metal finish.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Get one of the long barbed wire snake things from Home Depot. I picked one up last year that must have been 30" long.
If it's a bathroom sink I'd bet it's hair.

 

[Elixer]

Get one of the long barbed wire snake things from Home Depot. I picked one up last year that must have been 30" long.
If it's a bathroom sink I'd bet it's hair.

I have used something that looks like this

They got them for a $1, and it has gotten through every clog so far...

 

[slag]

I have used something that looks like this

They got them for a $1, and it has gotten through every clog so far...

I may be wrong, but he said the blockage seems lower than that 18 inch tool can reach.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I may be wrong, but he said the blockage seems lower than that 18 inch tool can reach.

No you're not but these are about 30" long

 

[slag]

Mine is 20 inches.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Mine is 20 inches.

Maybe you're right. I just got inebriated in December Andy I thought it was longer than my arm

Oops but I'll preserve the funny auto correct that's above.

Correct version: I picked one up in December and I thought it was longer than my arm.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I had great results using just a plunger recently. I couldn't believe how much crap (hair/soap) it was able to pull out of the drain, nor how much better the drain worked afterwards. Also used it on the shower drain with the same results.

 

[jpiniero]

Haven't really worked on it recently. I have a Zip-It, but the clog is farther in. Best I can tell is that it is past the beginning of the incline of the p-trap. I would take the p-trap out but I think it is nailed in.

 

[mindless1]

Unless you plan on moving soon, I would get the trap off... maybe a picture of what you're dealing with would help, or do you just not have a pipe wrench?

 

[jpiniero]

Unless you plan on moving soon, I would get the trap off... maybe a picture of what you're dealing with would help, or do you just not have a pipe wrench?

I don't think it would help. It's pretty solidly in. I was able to remove the pipe between the sink and p-trap but that's it.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Had a similar clog that I couldn't get rid of by any other means. Plumber run a snake down from the roof stack to clear it.

Rent an auger if you think you know what you're doing. Otherwise, call Roto-Rooter or a plumber. Skip the chemicals.

http://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Drain-Cleaner-50-X-1-2/EK-R-1-2IC50EG1A/index.html

 

[mindless1]

I don't think it would help. It's pretty solidly in. I was able to remove the pipe between the sink and p-trap but that's it.

What are you saying, that you don't have a pipe wrench and assume it wouldn't help? I could tear the entire thing to shreds with a pipe wrench if it didn't come loose, then just buy new pieces. However if it is PVC, try soaking acid into the threads as I suggested previously, and if metal then you can heat it mildly. It will come off one way or the other.

 

[jpiniero]

I suspect it's bolted into the wall.

 

[mindless1]

Pictures? The kind of bolt I'm familiar with, unscrews so you can remove it.

 

[paperfist]

How old is the house? Has clogging been an issue?

You can try bleach too, it's what's in Liquid Plumber. You gotta let the stuff sit for a while. Zepp also makes a pretty good unclogger in the plumbing isle of Home Depot.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Liquid Plummer and those kinds of drain cleaners are typically some bleach-like substance. If you look at products like line cleaners and the more caustic stuff, the main and sometimes only ingredient is lye. They aren't really "nasty" chemicals by any means...just really effective. Lye is a base, not an acid, but the PH is far enough that it'll eat through hair.

Be careful if you use the auger drill attachments. I've seen people go through PVC and cast iron pipes with those when they hit a closet elbow and jammed the auger....this is why most codes require sweeping elbows and combination wyes for cleanouts these days.

This kind of auger is nice because it rolls up for storage and is thin enough to attack 1 1/2" pipe.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=19629526&cp=2568443.2568452.2631224.2631250

If you go for the flat sewer line snakes, they are very thick ribbons of steel that don't take to sharp bends, but can power through almost anything other than roots. Either way, wear gloves...

 

[jpiniero]

How old is the house? Has clogging been an issue?

60's era condo. First time I've had the bathroom sink clogged.

You can try bleach too, it's what's in Liquid Plumber. You gotta let the stuff sit for a while. Zepp also makes a pretty good unclogger in the plumbing isle of Home Depot.

I'll consider that. I do think something similar to what Scarpozzi mentions might be a better idea though.